Wireless beacons are being used in a wide range of applications. Often wireless beacons are used to transmit identifiers, advertisements, and/or otherwise provide information within range of the wireless beacon transmitter.
One application for beacon transmitters, particularly low power beacon transmitters such as Bluetooth beacon transmitters, is to make users aware of services or special offers in proximity to the beacon transmitter. For example, a coffee shop may use a beacon transmitter to transmit a beacon used to communicate special offers, line wait times and/or news about new products such as a special coffee blend or new dessert.
While different stores or shops in an area may each use there own beacon transmitter to advertise information corresponding to the particular store or shop, within a larger store it may be desirable to use beacons to advertise different information based on the merchandise available in a particular area of the store. This may involve, for example, placing a beacon transmitter in an individual area of the store which transmits a beacon advertising a product or service available in the area in which the individual beacon transmitter is located. Battery powered beacon transmitters may be used for this purpose. While placing beacon transmitters at different locations, e.g., at stands corresponding to different items, through out a store to advertise different items and/or communicate different locally relevant information is one way to take advantage of the ability of beacons to communicate locally relevant information to individuals as they move from one location to another in store, there are several disadvantages to using a large number of individual battery operated beacon transmitters.
The use of a large number of individual battery operated beacon transmitters at numerous different sites requires management of the individual devices often using mobile devices. Not only must the individual beacon transmitters be placed and situated throughout the store, their batteries must be maintained over time if they are to be useful. For example, in the case of battery powered beacon transmitters, it may be necessary to periodically replace the batteries of the devices. In addition, the devices need to be individually programmed with transmit power, transmit rate and the information they are to transmit in a beacon. Beacon transmitters located on stands and/or at ground level are also subject to damage as goods are moved and stocked as carts may bang into the beacon transmitters depending on where they are placed.
The placement of large numbers of beacon transmitters though out stores or other areas thus creates a variety of management, maintenance, cost and placement issues associated with the use of large numbers of beacon transmitters. In addition, if a venue owner wants to deliver messaging in new areas of venue they need to add or move beacons.
Using large numbers of beacon transmitters with relatively short range allows for individuals with a receiver to detect and receive locally relevant information in an environment, e.g., within a store, stadium or other venue as he/she moves throughout the environment. In cases where detection of beacons is reported to a server, information on which beacons were detected and when can also be used to facilitate tracking of an individual through a store or other environment where GPS and/or other location information may not be readily available.
Thus, while beacons offer many benefits, problems associated with the management, placement, cost and maintenance over large number of beacon transmitters limits the practical use of beacons.
In view of the above discussion it should be appreciated that there is a need for methods and apparatus which could facilitate the use of beacons but preferably without some or all of the disadvantages associated with having to place large numbers of individual beacon transmitters at different locations at a site, e.g., store or other environment.